Fabrics Used for Water Polo Suits

Water polo suits, as well as competitive swimming suits, are not made of typical swimming suit fabric. Usually, the fabric reduces water resistance and snagging, is made of tougher material to prevent ripping and fits tightly to the body.

Common swimwear fabrics include lycra, SpeedLine, PolyRidge, PBT and StreamLine, all of which contain polyester. Polyester in swimwear is preferable to nylon, because nylon absorbs water, which results in faded colors and weakened molecular structures. Water polo suits contain a mixtures of PBT and polyester, varying by brand. PBT is a knitted, texturized form of polyester. It stretches, much like spandex and in two directions like lycra. However, it has less give, an important feature in water sports where suits need to be tight in order to reduce ripping and muscle vibrations. Furthermore, PBT is an extremely light fabric and slides through water. Because it has less stretch than lycra, it is less ideal for racing and more ideal for water polo. PBT is also chlorine and snag resistant.

Many companies specialize in making swimwear for water sports and competitive swimming. These different brands employ various technologies to their fabrics, but the fabric itself for water-polo swimwear is normally a mixture of PBT and polyester, which produces the best combination of hardiness and elasticity.

I have a lyrca suit that I use, and it's been great. It fits well, and feels awesome in the water. I'd like to upgrade and get the PBT, but right now I don't have the money to spend on another suit. Mine works just fine for the time being.